Pujols hits 3-run HR, Cards overcome absences, beat Jays 6-1

TORONTO — Albert Pujols hit a three-run homer and finished with three hits, passing Rogers Hornsby on St. Louis’ career list, and the Cardinals stopped Toronto’s seven-game win streak with a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays on Wednesday night.

Adam Wainwright pitched seven sparkling innings to help St. Louis earn a split of the two-game set while playing without unvaccinated sluggers Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. Nolan Gorman homered, and Dylan Carlson and Lars Nootbaar each hit an RBI double.

Foreign nationals who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 are not allowed to enter Canada, save for limited exceptions that require a 14-day quarantine. Unvaccinated baseball players are placed on the restricted list, where they are not paid and do not accrue major league service time.

Goldschmidt, Arenado, and catcher Austin Romine, who all went on the restricted list Tuesday, will be eligible to return when the Cardinals begin a three-game series at Washington on Friday.

Facing Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman, Pujols singled in the second and doubled in the fourth. The hits were his 2,110th and 2,111th with the Cardinals, moving him past Hornsby for fourth-most in franchise history.

Gausman left after walking Tyler O’Neill in the fifth and Pujols greeted Trevor Richards with his seventh homer of the season and No. 686 for his career. Pujols ranks fifth on baseball’s homer list, 10 behind Alex Rodriguez.

An 11-time All-Star and three-time NL MVP, Pujols flied out to center in his final at-bat in the seventh.

Pitching in Toronto for the first time since June 24, 2010, Wainwright (7-8) allowed one run and five hits for his first victory since June 27 against Miami.

Bo Bichette’s two-out RBI single in the fourth scored Toronto’s lone run.

Gausman (7-8) allowed five runs and eight hits in 4 2/3 innings. He has won just once in his past four outings.

Gorman hit an opposite-field homer off Gausman to begin the fifth, his 10th.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: C Yadier Molina (right knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Memphis on Thursday and could be activated next week, manager Oliver Marmol said. … OF Harrison Bader will be shut down for several weeks because of plantar fasciitis in his right heel, Marmol said.

MANIC MONTH

Toronto is 11-11 in July. The Blue Jays lost nine of their first 11 games this month.

RUNNING WILD

Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. swiped second in the fourth for his first stolen base of the season.

UP NEXT

Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (7-8, 2.87 ERA) will start Friday’s game at Washington. RHP Aníbal Sánchez (0-2, 6.30 ERA) goes for the Nationals.

Blue Jays: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (3-5, 5.12 ERA) is expected to be activated off the injured list to start Thursday against Detroit. Kikuchi has been out since July 6 because of a strained neck. LHP Tyler Alexander (2-3, 4.05 ERA) starts for the Tigers.

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